Silent Courage
by The Everlasting Echo
Summary: Lilacpaw has always been ridiculed for her inability to speak, and Mousestorm is simply known for her ruthlessness in and out of battle, but one day, a tragedy will form a strong bond between the two that neither had ever known.


Ferns rustled at the camp entrance as a young white she-cat pushed her way through them and into the clearing, a blackbird and several mice clamped in her jaws. The she-cat's head and tail were held high with pride for her catch.

The apprentice padded over to the fresh kill pile by an old fallen tree and set hers down, before glancing back at her mentor, Gingerpelt, who had followed her, and watched as the pale ginger warrior placed her own catch, a pair of sparrows.

"You did good Lilacpaw." Gingerpelt meowed to her apprentice. "You've passed your first assessment. Take your pick from the pile and take the rest of the day off."

Lilacpaw's green eyes glowed happily under her mentor's praise and she nodded her thanks as Gingerpelt turned and padded across to join several other warriors outside their den.

The white she-cat turned her attention back to the fresh kill pile, eyes wandering over it, wondering what she should take. ForestClan mainly hunted birds among the branches of the tall trees in their territory, so naturally there was more feathers than fur, and after a moment of deliberation, she selected her blackbird and padded back to the apprentice den to eat.

Settling down just outside the thick cluster of ferns that sheltered the apprentice den, Lilacpaw hungrily bit into the blackbird. She flicked an ear as the ferns behind her rustled and a sleek gray shape emerged.

"How'd you do on your assessment? Actually manage to catch something Lilac_kit_?" A voice jeered, but the white she-cat paid him no mind, showing no sign that she had heard him. Thrushpaw was one of the older apprentices and seemed to make it his goal to make Lilacpaw's life as an apprentice miserable, but after three moons of putting up with him, she'd learned to block him out and not let him get to her.

The gray tabby grumbled to himself when she didn't react, and after a moment he moved closer and went on. "What's wrong Lilackit, nothing to say?"

She couldn't help but tense slightly at this. He knew very well that even if she did have something to say to him, and _oh StarClan_ she'd love to give him an earful one of these days, she couldn't. She'd been born mute, never able to utter a single sound even as a kit no matter how hard she tried. Some cats saw this as a weakness and wanted her to become a medicine cat apprentice, but Lilacpaw had refused, horrified by the thought. She was going to become a warrior.******  
**

Not being able to talk wasn't a weakness in her opinion, more of an inconvenience. She could still hears and see, so she could learn, she wasn't stupid. And thankfully Cloudstar, ForestClan's leader, was kind enough to give her Gingerpelt as a mentor. The she-cat was kind, understanding and patient, and the two had formed a strong bond over the past moons.

The young apprentice was determined to prove those who thought low of her wrong, and with Gingerpelt as her mentor she was confident that she'd be able to do just that, even if it meant putting up with mouse-brains like Thrushpaw for the time being.

As she tensed, she noticed the tabby tom's sneer out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her gaze fixed stubbornly on the piece of prey in front of her, refusing to look at him.

"What's wrong little kitty?" He said with fake concern. "Were you not able to catch any of the big bad birds, was it too hard?" He paused for a moment, before adding cruelly, "What, did they _hear_ you coming?"

That was it. Lilacpaw's claws seemed to unsheath themselves as she turned to look at Thrushpaw, lips drawn back in a soundless snarl, ears flattening to her head.

Thrushpaw's amber eyes glowed with challenge as he looked back at her, just daring her to attack him. And she almost did, if it wasn't for the angry yowl that sounded from across camp.

Eyes snapping up towards the noise, Lilacpaw noticed Mousestorm, one of the senior warriors, standing over a tiny black kit, furious expression on her face. "Get away from me you tiny scrap of fur!" She was hissing.

The kit had himself flattened to the ground and was clearly terrified as he slowly inched himself back towards the nursery. His mother, one of the younger queens, a gray tabby named Ashflower, suddenly emerged from the nest in the brambles and dashed over to her kit, standing over him protectively as she glared at Mousestorm.

"What is wrong with you!" She snarled, "he's just a kit, leave him alone!" And with that, she picked up the kit and hurried back to the nursery, disappearing inside.

There was silence in the camp as the cats all gazed at Mousestorm in shock, but the dark gray she-cat just looked around, her amber eyes flashing. "What?" She snapped to no cat in particular.

Gradually cats began to go back to what they were doing, though some cast a few disapproving glanced at the ill-tempered she-cat, who was now furiously tearing into a sparrow, paying no attention to them now. In truth, no cat was all that surprised. Mousestorm was accurately named, well known for her sharp tongue and almost ruthless personality. She was surely a cat to be feared both in and out of battle, and Lilacpaw and long ago made a mental note to try her hardest to never get on the she-cat's bad side, so she always made sure to keep her distance.

There were times however, that the white apprentice actually felt bad for the warrior. Most cats in the Clan didn't seem too fond of talking to her most of the time, and queens made sure their kits kept their distance, and what had just happened was a prime example of why. However, Mousestorm was also one of their strongest and smartest fighters and was a valued ally in any fight, so the cats in ForestClan respected her in a way.

"Crazy fox-hearted she-cat." Thrushpaw was murmuring, watching as Mousestorm finished the sparrow and stalk off to the warriors den, the cats sitting there moving aside to give her a wide berth, as if they expected her to lash out at them next.

Lilacpaw rolled her eyes, looking back down at the remains of her blackbird. She suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore, but she forced herself to gulp it down before getting to her paws and pushing her way through the ferns and into the apprentice den. She could feel Thrushpaw's eyes on her, but for once he didn't say anything.

In the dim light, the apprentice could just make out the spotted tabby pelt of Dapplepaw, who was curled up fast asleep in her own nest on the far side of the den, but other than that it was empty.

The white she-cat crossed over to her mossy, feather-lined nest towards the center of the den, circled around a few times, before plopping herself down, pulling her tail up over her nose, and a quiet sigh escaped her. She was tired from her long day out of camp with her mentor, but for some reason she was unable to fall asleep.

She didn't know long long she lay there, green eyes staring off into nothing, before her eyes finally closed and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Lilacpaw's eyes snapped open and her head flew up at the sound of frantic yowling from the camp clearing. Were they under attack?

She hurriedly got to her paws, vaguely noting that Dapplepaw was no longer in her nest, and rushed out of the den. It was night time now, probably some time close to Moonhigh, and the first things Lilacpaw noticed were the bright orange flames raging through the trees just outside camp, casting an eerie, flickering glow on the clearing.

Fear scent was thick in the air as cats dashed around in a panic, queens were herding kits out of the nursery and warriors were helping the elders out of their den.

"Lilacpaw!" She looked up and saw Gingerpelt dash over to her. "We need to get camp cleared out now! Go help the queens, make sure them and the kits are alright."

The white apprentice nodded and hurried over to help one of the lingering queens, a pretty tortoiseshell and white she-cat called Echofrost. The queen had one kit at her paws and another one trailing behind her.

"Come on Foxkit!" She was calling back to the small ginger tabby. "We need to leave now." But the kit was mewling in protest, not wanting to leave the nest because he was tired and wanted to sleep.

Lilacpaw quickly padded over to the straggler and scooped him up in her jaws by the scruff, causing him to squeal in surprise and displeasure. Echofrost looked at her, gratitude shining in her amber eyes and she turned to the other kit, nudging her gently to her paws before picking her up and hurrying forward, after the rest of the cats leaving camp through the thorn tunnel and out into the burning forest.

Foxkit had quieted, his amber eyes wide as he gazed up at the flames sweeping through the trees, and Lilacpaw could feel his trembling. Or was it her own? She was terrified as she raced after her Clanmates through the trees.

She could just make out Cloudstar's white pelt at the front of the line of cats, and she appeared to be leading the Clan towards the stream at the CliffClan border. It made sense, because if they crossed the water, they'd be safe from the flames. Though they had been on pretty bad terms with CliffClan lately, so they probably would react pretty badly if they found all of ForestClan trespassing on their territory.

Lilacpaw shook off her doubts. Wavestar would understand, he had to. Once the fire died down, they'd leave. So everything would be fine, right?

Suddenly, a screech of fear sounded from behind her, and the white she-cat skidded to a halt, turning to see what had happened. She was at the very back of the group of fleeing cats, with only two warriors bringing up the rear behind her, one of which was Mousestorm, and that's who had screeched. A burning branch had snapped from an above tree and plummeted to the ground right in front of the she-cat, blocking off her escape.

She made a step forward as if to help the trapped she-cat, but the other warrior, a golden tabby named Brakenclaw blocked her way, his green eyes grim as he gazed down at her. "You must leave her." He mewed softly, as if he regretted the words. "You need to get Foxkit to safety."

Lilacpaw's eyes widened in horror. Leave her? She stretched up, trying to see over the flames at Mousestorm, and could barely see the she-cat's dark gray pelt. It seemed as if Mousestorm was dashing back and forth in a frantic attempt to find a way out, but to no avail because burning underbrush was blocking her way.

"Go!" Brakenclaw snapped, giving her a hard nudge with his shoulder in the direction the rest of the Clan had gone. "We need to get out of here."

The apprentice turned her gaze on him, narrowing her eyes. After a few heartbeats, she set the struggling Foxkit on the ground in front of the warrior and nudged the kit towards him. Her message clearly written on her face, '_Take him_.'

Brakenclaw blinked, his eyes widening slightly as he glanced down at the kit, then back at Lilacpaw. "Have you got bees in your brain?" He demanded after a moment. But when the apprentice's determined glare didn't let up he sighed. "Fine. Do what you want, but just don't get yourself killed." And with that, the golden warrior scooped up the kit and bounded after the Clan.

Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Lilacpaw turned her attention to the burning undergrowth. There had to be a way though somewhere, right? Looking around, her green eyes settled on a hazel bush, the top of which had caught fire but she should be able to squeeze her way underneath.

Acting fast, the white she-cat darted forward and pulled herself underneath the short prickly branches that scraped at her fur. It took longer than she'd have liked, but she soon emerged on the other side. Ignoring the slight pain of the scratches now running along her back, she looked around and spotted Mousestorm laying on her side close by.

Why wasn't she moving, was she dead? Lilacpaw hurriedly padded forward and sniffed along the gray she-cat's body, trying to find out what was wrong. Suddenly, Mousestorm's eyes opened and she coughed. Looking up at the apprentice, her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" She spat weakly. "Go on and save yourself. You're too young to meet StarClan, but you will soon if you stay here!"

She rolled back onto her stomach and gestured with her head towards her foreleg, which was covered in blackened, burnt fur, which was missing in several places all the way up to the shoulder, revealing sensitive burnt flesh underneath. "I got that when the branch fell," she explained grimly.

To the apprentice, it almost seemed like she'd given up. But there was no way Lilacpaw was going to leave her here along, so she leaned down and grasped the older she-cat by the scruff, trying to pull her to her paws.

"What are you doing, mouse-brain!" Mousestorm yowled in surprise. "Leave me! It's no use, I can't walk."

The younger cat let go and fixed the warrior in a hard stare. "Fine," Mousestorm growled after several heartbeats. She struggled to her paws, wincing in pain and she tucked her injured leg to her chest. She would have topped over, but the apprentice quickly moved closer, leaning against her flank to steady her.

Slowly the two she-cats made their way back to the hazel bush, Lilacpaw supporting the warrior. To her dismay, more of the bush had caught fire, but they should still be able to squeeze underneath, so she moved back and nudged Mousestorm forward.

"I don't know what your problem is," the gray she-cat was grumbling, limbing forward and awkwardly pulling herself forward with her three good legs. She stopped about halfway through as a horrible bit of coughing raked her body, but it only lasted a few heartbeats and soon she was moving again and emerging on the other side. The apprentice soon ducked down and followed behind her, wincing as flames licked at her back, but she ignored the pain and soon pushed herself free besides her Clanmate, moving to her uninjured side once again and slowly nudging her along. She had to endure many grumbled curses, and she tensed several times, expecting claws to rake across her ear, but surprisingly no blows came.

The two she-cats followed the path towards the stream. Their progress was slow, having to stop several times to cough as the smoke had dried and irritated their throats, and they had to backtrack several times to avoid clumps of burning undergrowth. At one point Lilacpaw looked down, and was shocked to see that the fur on her legs, normally such a bright white, had turned a dark, grimy color, and glancing back, she saw that her entire pelt had turned that color, streaked dirty by the smoke. Her eyes widened slightly, but soon closed tight as another bout of noiseless coughing ran through her.

Shaking her head slightly, she turned her attention forward again and could just make out a light through the thick billows of gray smoke. They were almost there! That's the last thought she had, before her legs gave out and she fell to the ground, entering a world of darkness.

* * *

A loud caterwaul was what caused Lilacpaw to stir some time later. Green eyes slowly blinking open, she winced at the pain in her chest and on her back. Lifting her head, she looked around warily, realizing she was surrounded by her Clan mates in unfamiliar place. What was going on?

"Oh thank StarClan you're awake!" An excited mew sounded close to her left, and turning to face it, saw Mintpaw, ForestClan's medicine cat apprentice, regarding her with a look of relief in her pale green eyes.

Lilacpaw blinked, and suddenly the memories of what had happened the night before came back to her and she gasped, air rushing down her dry throat which caused her to bow her head as a violent cough escaped her.

Mintpaw hurried closer, sniffing along the white she-cat's flank, then she seemed to nod to herself. "It's alright. Your throat is scorched from inhaling the smoke and your back it pretty badly burned, but you'll be ok."

She looked over at her shoulder at her back. Burned?It hurt, but surely it couldn't be that bad. But instead she was greeted by a thick layer of leaves and cobwebs covering her injured back.

"That's a comfrey and marigold poultice that will help your wounds heal." Mintpaw explained. "And Shrewpelt says I'm to have you swallow this once you woke up. It will help your throat."

Lilacpaw looked back and saw the pale gray tabby pushing a piece of honeycomb closer, so she lowered her head and licked at the honey, relishing the feeling as it slid down and soothed her throat. When she was done, she licked at her lips, wanting to get every last drop of the golden liquid, but then a thought struck her. Where were they? And who'd yowled.

She turned her gaze onto Mintpaw, staring hard at her, before twitching an ear.

Mintpaw blinked, not seeming to understand, but she saw question on the white apprentice's face, so she decided to explain the situation. "We're across the stream and a litle ways into CliffClan territory. A patrol came across us at dawn and of course, they thought it was an invasion, the mouse-brains, so they went back for reinforcements, and they just arrived, Wavestar among them. He's talking with Cloudstar now." She paused, gesturing with her tail, and looking in that direction, Lilacpaw spotted the two leaders a ways away, flanked by their deputies and several of their senior warriors, seemingly in the thick of an argument.

"I think Cloudstar's trying to convince him to let us stay for now." The gray tabby went on. "The fire's mostly gone at this point and it would probably be safe to journey back to camp, but many of our Clan have been weakened by the smoke and singed by the flames. Shrewpelt was smart because he had several warriors grab herbs to take with us in case this happened, and we've been treating the sick all morning. You're the last to wake up actually, and for awhile I didn't think you would because your breathing was so faint."

Lilacpaw nodded, accepting this. She still felt weaker than she'd like to admit, and sent a prayer to StarClan that Wavestar understood and let them stay for a little longer because she didn't think she would be able to make the trip back to camp, or what was left of it, in the state that she was in now.

A sudden thought struck her. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was seeing a light through the smoke, and then she'd woken up here. She looked around, and spotted Mousestorm laying a few fox-lengths away, seemingly asleep, her foreleg covered in what looked like the same herbs as were on her back, and there was a bit of honeycomb in front of her.

"Hm?" Mintpaw followed her gaze and flicked her tail. "Oh, yes. When we arrived without you, Brakenclaw told us what happened. Gingerpelt was pretty upset and wanted to go back and find you, but Cloudstar forbade it, she said it was too dangerous and she didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt, but she did send a few warriors to keep watch at the river on this side in case you showed up. We were here for a while when suddenly Mousestorm appeared on the other side. You were unconscious and she was dragging you behind her. She seemed barely conscious herself, and between that and her leg, it's a wonder she even managed it on her own. The warriors crossed the river and tried to help her across, but she demanded that they help you first."

Lilacpaw blinked in shock. Mousestorm had done that? It didn't seem like the normally ruthless she-cat who always seemed to lack even the most basic forms of compassion would do something like what Mintpaw was telling her. Surely she was making it up.

The medicine cat apprentice purred in amusement and touched her tail to Lilacpaw's shoulder. "It's true." She insisted, though she looked like she hardly believed it herself. "And when you got here, she wouldn't leave your side, insisting we take care of your injuries before we even looked at hers, and even then she sat over you while you slept, glaring at any cat who tried to come near. And she stayed like that until just before you woke up. She must have been exhausted, so I suppose that now she's sleeping."

The young white she-cat bowed her head, taking the information in. Maybe Mousestorm wasn't as bad as the Clan thought? Either way, she'd returned the favor and they'd saved each other from almost certain death in the forest fire.

Lilacpaw sighed and set her head down on the ground between her forepaws. She'd uncovered a side of Mousestorm that she didn't think any other cat had ever seen, and though she didn't know what to think of it exactly, she was happy. She remembered how just the day before she was reminding herself of the promise she'd made to herself to stay away from the she-cat, and now what?

She knew that they'd probably need to do some serious rebuilding to their camp, and that the fire had scared away or killed a lot of their prey, but she knew that she'd forever remember what Mintpaw told her, even if Mousestorm herself denied it.******  
**

_She'd remember_.

* * *

**So this is a challenge I did for the Warrior Challenge Forum's "Dynamics" challenge. Misgiving gave me two cats (Lilacpaw and Mousestorm) and an event (Forest fire) and I needed to write about how the two cats ended up getting along, and I'm actually really proud of the end result. I hope you all liked it as well. **

**Disclaimer: Warriors don't belong to me.**

**Please Review! :)**

**-The Everlasting Echo-**

**-Berrypaw of the Warrior Challenge Forum-**


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